The Cleveland County Commissioners and the Shelby City Council will hold a Special Meeting Tuesday May 29, 2018 at 4:30 PM at the LeGrand Center called by Commissioner Chairman Eddie Holbrook.
Not since the Commissioner’s sold the Hospital at pawnshop prices ($100 Million) and financed the deal at 0% interest has the Commissioners scheduled such a meeting in such a way that no one from the General Public is likely to attend. And then the Commissioners stole all the money from the taxpayers, the Citizens who actually owned the properties. And nobody cared because the Commissioners got re-elected.
The announced agenda for this secret meeting is as follows:
1. A presentation by ALTA Design on the Shelby Rail Trail Master Plan. This trail goes for 1.5 miles from West Grover Street and comes out on Dixon Blvd within the City of Shelby. The biggest attraction is a swinging bridge over the First Broad River. Sources reveal the plan is to get the Commissioners to fund the cost of the trail so the cost will be spread out to all county taxpayers. Just like they did when the Malcolm Brown Auditorium was built at Shelby High School before the merger. Just like the Commissioners did after the School Merger where school taxes go to maintain and update Shelby and Kings Mountain facilities leaving no money to build equal facilities at Burns and Crest high Schools. Just like the Commissioners did with $11.5 million the Commissioners gave Shelby for water and sewer line construction to the Clearwater Paper Expansion Project. And, in return, Shelby raises water and sewer rates for Shelby by $2.50 month within City Limits and twice that outside City Limits. The list goes on and on.
2. Shelby Cleveland County Regional Airport Project Update. Sources reveal this is just the same cost shifting as described in Item 1 above.
3. Doran Mill Abatement and Demolition. Project and Highest Best Use Study. The Commissioners have previously given away this property to their buddies who sold $1 million in scrap metal out of the old mill and milled the old beams for flooring for the uptown brewery before giving the property back to the county. Sources indicate the county will spend about a $1 million on the old mill and again turn it over to their buddies who will make big profits as the by-pass construction gets closer to being finished. A land flip scam very similar to the Gardner Webb land that was bought by a Commissioner buddy who turned it over to the county one minute later for over double the money.
4. Resolution authorizing an agreement between the City of Shelby and Commissioners for the funding of a third job ready shell building. Sources also report that this has the same MO as above. Shelby gets the gravy, county taxpayers get to pay the bills. This has an extra kick. Commissioners have already identified that unemployment is low and Cleveland County Schools as well as Cleveland Community College have not properly trained graduating students for any more jobs coming into the county. So why are the Commissioners spending taxdollars for job ready buildings when those jobs will have to be filled by workers from outside Cleveland County??? Only the Cleveland County Commissioners led by Massa Eddie Holbrook would spend tax money on boondoggle projects such as this.
5. Cleveland County Commissioners Only–ARC Lease Discussion. Sources have not identified exactly what this is. Must be another giveaway though or Commissioners would schedule this at a regular Board meeting. Otherwise, why else discuss this in a secret meeting that will hold up the Shelby City Council on something they do not appear to be voting on or discussing?
Now, that is the announced agenda. What about the unannounced agenda? What about items on hold that can be added to this secret meeting with a very simple last minute amendment to the agenda.
1. The Shelby 10 year MasterPlan calls for removal of the Confederate Soldier Monument on the Court Square that has been in place for over 110 years. Lots of monuments have been taken down around the Southern States in the past several years and Commissioner Eddie Holbrook has a debt to pay the Uncle Tom Preachers in the Black Community who split the black votes that helped him squeak through the Democrat Primary by only 268 votes. Just sending CCC computers and CCC teachers to Rev. Lamont Littlejohn’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in the name of a so called “Workforce Development-Employee Outreach” program is likely not enough. Holbrook has to get through the General Election too. Allowing Rev. Littlejohn to pull down that Confederate Monument would put a big gust of wind in Littlejohn’s sails in a segment of the black community, while at the same time not help the black community one whit or cost Holbrook any greenback dollars. Holbrook is a Democrat who Republicans think is conservative, so Massa comes out on top again. Helped by a school and community college system that turns out dummies who are not trained to qualify enough to hold down 21st Century jobs. Or 20 Century jobs for that matter. Sources report that Holbrook laughs at the white democrats who single shot voted for him. “I don’t ever have to do anything for them”, says Holbrook. “They are so glad to think just because they are ‘white,’ that is enough. They are so stupid.”
2. Raising taxes and fees to increase revenue for the county. The City of Shelby has announced an increase in their tax rate. The Commissioners, headed by Eddie Holbrook with all other commissioners voting exactly like Eddie, have raised “Fire taxes”75% for most of the Cleveland County. The City of Shelby’s increase in sewer rates for county users will increase twice as much as inside the Shelby City Limits. Nobody has complained so the Commissioners will raise the total taxes paid into the County by re-evaluating property values to a higher amount, while claiming the tax rate has not increased. It’s and old trick and now that the “Trump Economy” is booming, raising property taxes paid by raising property valuation is certain to follow. For instance, Cleveland County kept tax revenues high during the 2010-2016 by maintaining a property value much higher than the actual “market value” of the property. Look to see that appear again. And soon. Raising fees for garbage hauled to the dump is another thing to look forward to. And other things.
3. School Taxes will be kept the same. Since CCS and CCC have started “Dual Enrollment Programs” that give “College Credit” for students going to college after graduation, especially the community college, as well as count for graduation from high school, Sources report CCS and CCC are “double dipping” into state funds for these programs. CCS gets paid for the student going to high school and CCC gets state money to pay the teachers who teach the College courses at the high schools. Audit firms that audit CCS books report CCS revenues matches CCS expenditures and CCC auditors do the same thing. No audits are allowed that cover both CCS and CCC. Therefore, both CCS and CCC Books balance but the actual funding for the Dual Enrollment program is twice what it should have been. Resulting is lots of “slush” funds that neither CCS or CCC will admit to. Besides, the College and High School credit Dual Enrollment programs are “dumbed down” so more students qualify and more slush fund money goes into the system. All this was previously reported by CCC Employees but the CCC Board of Trustees have hired a lawyer to keep all this a secret from the public. From State Officials too.
4. No telling what other scams on the taxpayers will be brought out in this secret meeting!!!
Show up with a recorder and spoil the party.!!!
Editor’s Note: This article contains elements of satire. You, the reader, are responsible for doing your own fact checking on every item of contention. Do not expect to find any elements of the truth of the matter anywhere on FaceBook or other Social Media outlets as Commissioner Holbrook has commissioned sycophants to plant false news on social media.